PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF WHOLE MILK WITH SOY MILK IN PRE-RUMINANT CALVES
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Date
2018
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES, POOKODE WAYANAD
Abstract
A study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of soy milk as milk replacer
in pre-ruminant calves on the basis of growth performance and nutrient utilisation.
Eighteen healthy crossbred calves of one to two weeks of age, were selected
from the Instructional Livestock Farm Complex (ILFC), Pookode. They were divided
into three groups of six each, as uniformly as possible with regard to age, sex and
body weight and randomly allotted to the three dietary treatments, T1, T2 and T3,
with T1 being the control and T2 and T3 being the treatment groups and were fed as
per ICAR (2013) feeding standards.
Calves in group T1 were fed on whole milk alone, while those in T2 were fed
on 75 per cent whole milk and 25 per cent soy milk and those in T3 were fed on 50
per cent whole milk and 50 per cent soy milk, on DM basis. Calves in all the three
groups were fed with calf starter and ad libitum green grass, on DM basis
On perusal of the data, it could be seen that the body weight and body
measurements of calves fed on all three rations, T1, T2 and T3, increased linearly
from the first fortnight onwards and was similar between treatments (P˃0.05). The
average daily body weight gain of calves in groups T1, T2 and T3 were 0.21, 0.29
and 0.27 kg, respectively and were statistically similar (P˃0.05).
The dry matter intake (DMI) of calves increased from the first fortnight
onwards, with significant difference being observed from the second fortnight
onwards in all the three groups, with the calves in T2 and T3 having significantly
higher (P˂0.01) DMI than those in T1, with T2 and T3 being similar (P˃0.05) in DMI
except in the sixth fortnight where T2 had a significantly higher DMI than T3
(P˂0.01). The average final daily DMI in groups T1, T2 and T3 was 1.35, 1.40 and
1.40 kg, respectively. These findings indicate that soy milk feeding stimulated calf
appetite, which in turn resulted in increased calf starter intake and increased DMI.
The data on DMI per 100 kg body weight and DMI per kg metabolic body weight
were similar (P˂0.05) for calves in all the three groups.
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The feed conversion efficiency of calves fed on three experimental rations,
T1, T2 and T3 were 4.52, 3.44 and 3.25, respectively and similar (P˃0.05), with
calves in groups T2 and T3 fed on soy milk at 25 and 50 per cent level having better
feed efficiency than those in T1, fed on whole milk alone.
The digestibility coefficients of nutrients such as DM, CP, CF, EE, NFE, NDF
and ADF of calves fed on the experimental rations estimated from the digestion trial
reveal that the digestibility coefficient of DM was significantly higher (P˂0.05) in T3
than T1 with T2 being similar (P˃0.05) to both T3 and T1. The CP digestibility was
significantly higher (P<0.05) in calves fed on T1 than T2 and T3 with T2 and T3
being similar (P˃0.05). Digestibility coefficients of all other nutrients, viz; CF, EE,
NFE, NDF and ADF were statistically similar (P˃0.05).
Various haemato - biochemical parameters such as haemoglobin, plasma
protein, plasma glucose, blood urea nitrogen, serum calcium and phosphorus were
similar (P˃0.05) between the three treatment groups and were in normal range for
calves.
The cost per kg gain of calves in groups T1, T2 and T3 were Rs. 553.06,
412.43 and 366.45, respectively, with the lowest cost per kg gain observed in calves
of group T3, followed by T2 and T1 in ascending order.
A thorough evaluation of the results of the present investigation reveal that
calves in groups T2 and T3 fed on soy milk at 25 and 50 per cent levels had a higher
final body weight, increase in body weight and body measurements, average daily
gain, significantly higher (P<0.05) dry matter intake, better feed conversion
efficiency, higher dry matter digestibility (P<0.05) and lower cost per kg gain than
those in T1 fed on whole milk alone, indicating that soy milk can be used to partially
replace whole milk at 25 and 50 per cent levels, with 50 per cent being more
economical. Such a replacement will help the farmers to rear calves economically by
replacing the costly ingredient milk, without compromising on growth performance
and nutrient utilisation of calves
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